Sunday, June 10, 2007

It's the Story...of a Lovely Blog...

Thanks to Chilihead for suggesting this topic. It's a big help to have someone select a topic for me on Mondays because trust me, no one wants to read (or sleep through) an explanation of my weekends. Here is my blogging story:

1. How did you start blogging? Someone we knew personally had a blog and we found out it was really easy and free. This was appealing to us. My husband began a blog for his youth ministry first. I wrote a few articles for him, realized I was being TOTALLY stifled by having to stay on the "youth ministry" topics, and felt the need to have my own blog. I have a lot to say!

2. Did you intend to be a blog with a following? I don't think I was really aware that blogs could have "followings." I knew people might read my stuff. However, it is beyond my capabilities of comprehension to understand how some people can write about barfing and get 40 something comments. That is truly amazing to me. I think I could discover the fountain of youth, post a blog about it, and no one would notice. Well, my husband would probably read it.

3. What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? I hope that I will be an encouragement to other Christian women OR be a person that makes an unsaved person say, "Hmmm. Maybe I should think about this." An ideal reader, in my opinion, would be a young wife--who could maybe learn from where I've already been. That way they wouldn't be having to change their family 13 years in. But hey, whoever reads it, I hope I can encourage them. Have you been successful? I don't think so. I get hits, but the regular readers seem to be my husband and a few other folks. I'm glad I got the site meter or I wouldn't have even known I had an audience. It was kind of encouraging to know someone was reading. But the comments are few and far between. Even so, I like writing. I just pray for God to send people to read if He wants them to. And it's early yet.

4. Has the focus of your blog changed since you started? No. I don't think I've had enough time to get off-track. One day the focus will shift, though.

5. What do you know now that you wish you'd known when you started? How much time this would take out of my life. And that it's really, really enjoyable. Reading other peoples blogs, for a nosy person, is pure eavesdropping heaven!

6. Do you make money with your blog? Sadly, no. Nor do I get free products. I think you have to actually have, you know, readers for those things to happen. And probably a better design, too.

7. Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? Well, my husband knows. My daughters could really care less what I'm doing on the computer. My extended family does NOT know. I didn't want them to know because I have lived in the same town nearly my whole life and we go to the church where we grew up and I live 3 doors down from my parents, and I JUST WANTED ONE THING IN MY LIFE THAT I DO TO HAVE A DIFFERENT AUDIENCE. For once. So, I have not told them. It's very freeing because I can say what I want to (even though I think about what I post.) No one at church knows either. Admittedly, this cuts down on readers. I am pretty much relying on strangers on the internet to be interested in what I have to say. And I think the day someone I know stumbles on my site, they will be pretty amazed, because no one knows I think about these things. Oh, also it's like living a secret identity because I can't leave comments on some blogs or it could link to mine. I'm like a super-hero, I tell you.

8. I don't have any advice. I'm too new at this. But you should remember to be safe and realize that anyone in the entire world with internet access can read your blog. Leave some mystery.